Conductor grip for insulators



March 19, 1946. H. s. slNES CONDUCTOR GRIP FOR INSULATORS Filed Aug. 3, 1944 "@9@ .25. Qfne .1

Patented Mar. 19, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONDUCTOR GRIP FOR INSULATORS Harold S. Sines, Chicago, Ill.

Application August 3, 1944, Serial No. 547,871

6 Claims.

M invention contemplates and provides new and useful conductor grips for insulators of electiicity supply or communications lines.

A salient object of my invention is to provide, adjunctively to an insulator of suitable design, a conductor-gripping and insulator-gripping device that is turnable in one direction to attach the conductor to the insulator and turnable in the opposite direction to release the conductor from the insulator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a conductor grip that becomes resiliently locked against movement relative to its associated insulator when turned in one direction to attach the conductor to the insulator, but which cams itself out of locked relation to the insulator when a lineman forcibl turns it in the opposite direction to release the conductor from the insulator.

Another object of my invention is to provide a conductor grip that readily and appropriately may be manipulated with the aid of a suitable hot line tool to attach the conductor to and release it from the insulator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a satisfactory conductor grip that is capable of tightl resiliently gripping the conductor and the insulator with which it is associated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a conductor grip that satisfactorily will co-operate with conductors of various sizes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a conductor grip that satisfactorily will co-operate with insulators of various sizes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a conductor grip that satisfactorily will co-operate with conductors which, in the regions of their insulators, have been armored to protect them against vibration and abrasion.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a conductor grip, characterized by some or all of the above mentioned advantages, that practicably may be formed in one piece from metal or other suitable material.

1e afore-mentioned and other objects, features. characteristics and advantages of my invention will appear from the following detailed description wherein reference is made to the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating my new conductor grip as it appears when holding a conductor to an insulator;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of the posed as depicted in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the insulator and conductor grip as they appear from a point removed from the point of view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken in the plane of line 4-4 of Fig. 2, looking downwardly;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the insulator and conductor grip as they appear when relatively disposed as in the preceding figures;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of an appropriately shaped sheet of metal, or other suitable material, which may be conformed to produce the conductor grip of this invention; and

Fig. '7 is a perspective view illustrating how the conductor grip may be formed of wire.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A conventional insulator of porcelain, or other suitable .di-electric material, to which my new conductor grip constitutes a desirable adjunct, is depicted at A. It has a knob-like circular top B in the upper surface of which is formed the diametrically extending groove C. The insulator will be so mounted on a cross-arm or other support that the groove C extends in the direction of the conductor with which the insulator is to co-opcrate. 'Encircling the insulator immediately beneath the knob-like top B is the annular groove D. In transverse section the walls of the grooves C and D are arcuate. In the ordinary use of the kind of insulator exemplified by insulator A, the conductor is disposed in groove 0 and is retained therein by tie wires acting between the conductor and the insulator. The application of such tie wires requires considerable of a linemans time and they are somewhat undependable. The need for them is eliminated by the present invention.

A preferred form of my conductor grip may be provided by properly contouring a flat sheet it! (see Fig. 6). The material of the conductor grip, whether or not it be evolved in one piece from flat stock, may be metallic or non-metallic and electricity conducting or non-conducting. It should be strong and resilient.

The conductor grip includes an elongated horizontally disposed cradle II, which in transverse cross section is concavo-convex with its concave face presented upwardly.

Carried at opposite edges of the ends of cradle l I are the oppositely extending spaced-apart conductor-engaging spring fingers 12-12. These fingers are disposed in overlying spaced relation ship to the cradle H, and each finger preferably has one of its tip end corners turned upwardlly, as indicated at l3. The proximate edges of the fingers 12-42 are spaced apart a distance somewhat greater than the diameter of the conductor with which the conductor grip is to co-operate.

The ends of cradle i i turn downwardly to carry horizontally extending insulator-engaging spring fingers I i! i. Each of such fingers id is concave-convex in vertical section and presents its convex face inwardly. Moreover, each finger M has its tip end disposed in proximate spaced relationship to the root end of the other finger l4, and each tip end preferably is turned outwardly, as depicted at ii5.

The manner of utilizing the improved conductor grip to attach conductor E to the insulator A is as follows: The conductor grip is applied to the insulator A so that spring fingers l4-l4 embrace the eriphery of knob-like insuator top B with the cradle H overlying and disposed at right angles to the insulator groove C. The conductor E is next placed in the space between the two spring fingers 5 25 2 to lie upon and transversely of cradle ii. The conductor grlpis then turned 90 in the clockwise direction, as viewed from the top, around the vertical axis of the insulator, to cause the spring fingers I 2-4 2 to embrace conductor E as depicted in drawing, to cause conductor E to occupy the concavity of cradle H, and to place cradle H in registry with the insulator groove C. Due to the weight of the insulator grip and conductor E, cradle H immediately occupies groove C when brought into registry therewith, and the spring fingers |4I4 snap into the annular groove D securely but yleldingly to attach the conductor grip. and with it conductor E, to the insulator A. The oppositely extending spring fingers 92-52 continue to press against conductor E and hold it in the concavity of cradle ii. When conductor E is to be detached from the insulator A, the conductor grip is turned in the counter-clockwise direct1on, as viewed from the top, to return the cradle l! to its aforementioned position overlying and at right angles to the groove C. As the conductor grip is thus turned, it is cammed upwardly, due to cooperation of the convex surface of cradle l l with the curved wall of groove C, to disengage spring fingers MM from groove D. Conductor E then may be lifted from between the spaced-apart spring fingers l2-l2.

The upturned corners l3-l3 of spring fingers i2--l2 facilitate embracement of conductor E by said fingers, and the outwardly turned tips |5-I5 of the spring fingers MM facilitate manipulation of the conductor grip with a suitable hot line tool whenever it is necessary or ilefsigable that the conductor grip be so manipu- In that form of the conductor grip which is depicted in Fig. '7, the portions ill] of the wire serve as the cradle, the portions i'SEl of the wire serve as the spring fingers which engage the conductor, and the portions Mil of the wire serve as the spring fingers which engage the annular groove D of the insulator.

While conductor E has not been shown as being armored in the region of its attachment to the insulator A, it should be understood that conductor grips embodying my present invention admirably will co-operate with conductors which, in the regions of their insulators, have been armored against vibration and abrasion, e. g. protected in accordance with the teachings of United States patent to Thomas F. Peterson, No. 2,275,019, dated March 3, 1942, and entitled Cable reinforcement.

Without limiting myself to the specific embodiments of my invention herein illustrated and described, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A conductor grip, for service in conjunction with an insulator having a groove extending across its top and an annular groove adjacent its top, comprising a conductor cradle adapted to occupy the groove extending across the top of the insulator, a pair of spaced apart spring hooks carried at opposite edges of the cradle and extending above and across the cradle, and a pair of spring fingers carried by and lying beneath the cradle adapted to engage in the annular groove of the insulator and to hold said cradle in the other said groove of the insulator after a conductor initially extended across the cradle between said spring hooks has been embraced by said spring hooks.

2. A conductor grip, for service in conjunction with an insulator having a groove extending across its top and an annular groove adjacent its top, comprising a conductor cradle adapted to occupy the groove extending across the top of the insulator, a pair of spaced apart spring hooks carried at opposite edges of the cradle extending above and across the cradle, and a pair of spring fingers carried by and lying beneath. the cradle adapted to engage in the annular groove of the insulator and to hold said cradle in the other said groove of the insulator after a conductor initially extended across the cradle between said spring hooks has been embraced by them, said cradle being concavo-convex in transverse cross section and having its concave surface presented upwardly to receive the conductor and its convex surface presented downwardly for reception by the groove extending across the top of the insu-- lator.

3. A conductor grip formed from a single sheet of suitable material and comprising an elongated cradle presenting a concave upper surface for the reception of a conductor and convex lower surface for reception by a groove in the top of an insulator wherewith the grip is intended to be used, a pair of spaced-apart hook-like members carried with the cradle and extending across and above it in opposite directions, and a pair of insulator-engaging members carried with and lying beneath the cradle, said insulator-engaging members being arranged to engage in an annular groove presented by the upper portion of the insulator with which the grip is intended to be associated.

4. A conductor grip, for service in conjunction with an insulator having a groove extending across its top and an annular groove adjacent its top, comprising a conductor cradle adapted to occupy the groove extending across the top of the insulator, a pair of spaced apart spring hooks carried at opposite edges of the cradle and extending above and across the cradle, and means carried by the cradle adapted to engage in the annular groove of the insulator and to hold said cradle in the other said groove of the insulator after a conductor initially extended across the cradle between said spring hooks has been embraced by said spring hooks.

5. A conductor grip, for service in conjunction with an insulator having a groove extending across its top and an annular groove adjacent its top, comprising a conductor cradle adapted to occupy the groove extending across the top of the insulator, a pair of spaced apart spring hooks carried at opposite edges of the cradle extending above and across the cradle, and spring means carried by and lying beneath the cradle adapted to engage in the annular groove of the insulator and to hold said cradle in the other said groove of the insulator after a conductor initially extended across the cradle between said spring hooks has been embraced by them, said cradle being concave-convex in transverse cross section and having its concave surface presented upwardly to receive the conductor and its convex surface presented downwardly for reception by the groove extending across the top of the insulator.

6. A conductor grip, for service in conjunction with an insulator having a groove extending across its top and an annular groove adjacent its top, comprising a conductor cradle adapted to occupy the groove extending across the top of the insulator, a pair of spaced apart spring hooks carried at opposite edges of the cradle and extending above and across the cradle, and spring means carried by the cradle adapted to engage in the annular groove of the insulator and resiliently to hold said cradle in the other said groove of the insulator after a conductor initially extended across the cradle between said spring hooks has been embraced by said spring hooks.

HAROLD S. SINES. 

